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Michael Vick
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstated convicted felon and dog torturer Michael Vick on Monday, allowing him to immediately begin practicing with any team which will take him. Vick can also return to the field in mid-October. This move will put yet another convicted criminal on the sidelines, in a league already heavy with felons. Of course, Vick spent 18 months of a 23-month sentence at Leavenworth federal prison for dog fighting charges. When police raided Vick’s house in Surry County, VA in 2007, they found 65 dogs (nearly all pit bulls), a dog-fighting pit, blood-stained carpets, and various equipment commonly used in dog fighting. One of the items found on Vick’s property was a ‘rape stand’ which is a device in which female dogs are strapped into and restrained, to allow a male dog to breed with her. According to the federal indictment, when dogs at Vick’s Bad Newz Kennels lost a fight, or failed to perform well in ‘test matches,’ they were routinely killed by methods including electrocution, hanging, drowning, and in at least one case by “slamming” the dog’s body onto the concrete floor. In one session in April 2007, at least eight dogs were killed through these methods. Vick took part in these executions along with his partners Purnell Peace, and Quanis Phillips. The indictment detailed a March 2003 incident, in which a female pit bull who had just lost a match was killed. Vick and Peace decided to kill her by “wetting the dog down with water and electrocuting her.” Despite these ghastly facts, the NFL has decided to welcome back Michael Vick. Goodell told reporters: "I do recognize that some will never forgive him for what he did. . I hope that the public will have a chance to understand his position as I have." To their credit, the New York Giants, the New York Jets, and the Dallas Cowboys have already announced they would not take Vick. Goodell is not only understanding of those who engage in the torture and killing of man’s best friend, but also of those who torture and kill man himself. In 1998, St. Louis Rams’ defensive end Leonard Little ran a red light, while driving drunk and hit and killed wife and mother Susan Gutweiler, 47. Little pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge, served 90 nights in a work release program and was back on the field the following season. In 2004, he was arrested again on drunk driving charges. In 2006, he was selected for the Pro Bowl. In 2000, Baltimore Ravens’ linebacker Ray Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, and agreed to testify against his two friends, Reginald Oakley and Joseph Sweeting, in exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss murder charges against him. Lewis was accused of stabbing to death two people after a Super Bowl party he attended, where a fight broke out between he and two members of a rapper’s entourage. While the NFL did fine Lewis for the crime, they did not issue any suspension. In 2008, Lewis received his 10th selection to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, Chicago Bears’ defensive tackle Christian Peter retired after spending six seasons in the NFL. Before being drafted, Peter was arrested eight times for various offenses while in college at the University of Nebraska, one for grabbing a woman by the throat. Peter was also alleged to have raped a freshman named Kathy Redmond multiple times, while head coach Tom Osborne helped cover up the crime, Osborne has since apologized to Redmond. .In 1993, Peter also sexually assaulted two women. Peter was drafted by the New England Patriots, who in light of his long history of criminal behavior, and his eighth arrest just before the draft, relinquished their rights to him. Peter entered the NFL the following season with the New York Giants. In 2005, Cleveland Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis served 4 months in prison for attempting to set up a drug deal. Lewis was caught in 2004, as he tried to obtain and distribute five kilograms of cocaine. He received a four-game suspension. In 2008, Lewis rushed for 1,000 yards. Between 2005-2007, Dallas Cowboys’ cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested and/or convicted of multiple charges including disorderly conduct, public intoxication, assault, felony vandalism. In 2006, Jones was arrested for spitting in a woman’s face at a Nashville nightclub. In 2007, Jones assaulted a stripper in a Las Vegas club and threatened the life of a security guard, Jones eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Jones was suspended for the 2007 NFL season, but returned to the league with the Cowboys in 2008. In 2006, Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive tackle Tank Johnson was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest, after allegedly threatening a Chicago police officer. At the time of his arrest, Johnson was on probation for a 2005 guilty plea to carrying a concealed weapon. Johnson was also charged with further probation violations in 2006. Johnson received an eight-game suspension, after serving 43 days in jail. In April 2009, Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver Donte Stallworth pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges and received a laughable 30-days in jail after hitting and killing husband and father Mario Reyes, 59 in Miami, Stallworth was drunk at the time. Officially, Stallworth is still on suspension from the NFL. The Browns have not released Stallworth, who signed him to a $35 million contract two weeks before he killed Reyes. During the 2007 NFL season, an incredible 21 percent of the players had arrest records. ?
Comments
Its crazy how you can pen point certain people. What you need to do is sit down and evaluate yourself.
Pen point certain people? These "certain" people are supposed to be role models for children. That's the responsibility you assume when you become a professional athlete. It's a small price to pay for the millions of dollars these athletes get paid to play a sport they love. Asking these athletes not to rape women, kill dogs, stab security guards, etc. is not asking a lot. Look at ourselves you say? I'm looking at myself in the mirror right now. I've done some bad things in my life, but I've never tortured or injured a person or animal or cheated on my wife. It's clueless people like you that continue to cheer for these athletes even after they repeatedly break the law. We aren't talking traffic violations or white collar crimes here. We are talking felony assault on a fellow human being. Get a clue moron.
I think Michael Vick should never be able to play for the NFL again! I just saw a special on how he used a dog as a decoy for 3 pitbulls. The dog could not even walk! Imagine, making that kind of money and getting your jollies over innocent animals. There are too many good football players in this world that deserve a chance so why would the NFL keep a creep like this. Just plain old stupid.
LEAVE MIKE VICK ALONE -- MAN GET A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this piece. You are so right in condemning the NFL for allowing felons the right to play football and thus become "role" models for youth. Vick is a low life and needs to be digging ditches, not being paid as a "star". And if people think fighting dogs is the only thing illegal that he has done, I bet you are so wrong. He shows no remorse except maybe for himself. No telling what else he has done if he had so little to himself as to kill dogs in such a fashion. I bet you could find a few women or men who could tell you about this man. All I know is that I have a sign up that this household will never have an NFL game on it's TV. If you want to watch men spanking men on the ass, go somewhere else. And if you think these are real men playing out there, guess again. Real men don't hit other men on their butts unless they mean something by it, get my drift.
MH, YOU LOOK AT THE DOG FIGHT INCIDENT AND START JUDGING THIS PERSON. THE COMMENT THAT YOU MADE, " THERES NO TELLING WHAT ELSE HE HAVE DONE". WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THAT NO ONE NO ABOUT? YOU ARE NOT PERFECT; NOBODY IS PERFECT. REMEMBER THAT MR. PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!
Jermaine, yes, nobody is perfect, but we should at least try to be a good person.
Michael Vick should be blamed for INTENTIONALLY abuse and killing dogs, which is not just an incident, it is a brutal crime.
And it is obvisous he is the person who enjoyed it.
Dave Gibson,
You bring all this up for what purpose? Who made you the judge of these people?
^ agreed
Where is the video that shows Michal Vick killed any dogs? He was not convicted of killing dogs.
Vick admitted to dog fighting, that is brutalizing animals. Have you ever seen the results of a dog fighting ring. Well I have, so do NOT ask me to have compassion for this person or to leave him alone.
Have you seen the result of a dunk driving accident or murder? MUCH worse
Michael Vick routinely killed dogs by methods of electrocution,hanging,drowning and more.This man will do it again! and if he can do it and be allowed to play for the NFL again,what will stop him of doing it again!!! all he got was a slap on the wrist!!! He should be covered in red raw meat and hung up so the dogs can have there way with him!!
First of all its "have THEIR way" genius and why would he do it again? He just did it for entertainment and it cost him everything. Pretty sure he isn't going to do it again
Other than the amount of money that NFL players make it is still a career. The crimes he commited were horrific, however he didn't shave points, or bet on football. So since he has served his sentence give him the opportunity to earn a living in his chosen career. IF you were a carpenter and you committed the same act your employer (team) could fire you. But after you served your time you would be able to be hire by a diffent builder.
When a person does something to an innocent animal or child who can not defend themselves, they deserve the same thing. But alas it would be inhumain to do this. This sick male needs to come see me. I certainly will give him the punishment he so rightly deserves. For the idiots.. yes idiots who support him... you are no different then he is. He is a namby pamby idiot. Hope he remembers.. what goes around, comes around.
He did not touch a child. That is an unforgivable act. So you are saying that he killed some dogs and for that you would do what to him? Sounds cruel and torturous to me. Man that rapes or kills a person? I can understand that. I had a friend in high school who was repeatedly raped and eventually killed by her stepfather. Take that guy.
Anonymous, you are an idiot. You're telling people we are not to judge, and yet you will judge him when he touches a child. If you won't judge him when he's killed dogs for FUN, then you shouldn't judge him when he touches a child either. After all, you're a sinner, too. How can you cast a stone on him if he's a pedophile? What a hypocrite you are.
MJF says "Where is the video that shows Michael Vick killed any dogs? He was not convicted of killing dogs"
He admitted to it you idiot. If you havent followed this case and all the details, dont say anything about it.
Jermaine says, "Its crazy how you can pen point certain people. What you need to do is sit down and evaluate yourself."
We have a right to evaluate other people, especially those that are making millions of dollars,and are in a career that deals with millions of fans and people on a daily basis.
These arent men that are going and pouring concrete all day or writing books, they are football players that are attending social events, fundraisers, etc and are supposed to be role models for kids.
It is great to know that young children who know about these crimial cases or grow up in similar environments will think that this behavior and all the things that these players have done is okay because they are out there again playing football like they did nothing wrong.
Jermaine quoted MH and MH, YOU LOOK AT THE DOG FIGHT INCIDENT AND START JUDGING THIS PERSON. THE COMMENT THAT YOU MADE, " THERES NO TELLING WHAT ELSE HE HAVE DONE". WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THAT NO ONE NO ABOUT? YOU ARE NOT PERFECT; NOBODY IS PERFECT. REMEMBER THAT MR. PERFECT!!!!!!!!!! stated "
No one is perfect. No one is saying they are perfect. I am not perfect. I have done wrong things, but rest assure that I have not electrocuted, shot, or body slammed dogs or engaged in dog fighting. And rest assured that I have not raped or sexually assaulted someone.
NOW, these mistakes can not be taken back, but if any of these players had remorse for their selfish and sick actions they would just stay out of the NFL realizing that they do not deserve to have such a career.
They deserve to have a livelihood. They deserve to work. I am not saying that they deserve to live in some dark hole somewhere, but i say to let the players who cherish their careers and act like decent humans run the NFL.
How does MV even sleep at night? Who would even be friends with this dude? What is wrong with people? What happened to this dude as a child that would possess him to behave like a Barbaric Neanderthal?
Football may be a career, but it ia a widely seen activity that a lot of children watch. If you are in such a field you should be held to a higher standard than others. You get the really big paycheck, so behave as you should and prove that you are worth all that money. Our children need to see that money does NOT buy your way out of trouble. Micheal Vicks should be banned from the NFL. As any other "role model" who thinks that they can do what they want without any consequenses.
Great point and I can actually agree with this, one question though. Do you also feel the same way about people like Lindsey Lohan (pardon the spelling not worth my time to look it up) Paris Hilton, Mel Gibson and the bunch? They do drugs which I am sure you thing is wrong, prostitute themselves to all, and make horrific movies about torture and market it to everyone. My grandmother took me to see that movie. If you agree to this then i can agree with the Michael Vick statement as well.
Aren't you the Norfolk Crime Examiner? Go work on catching a story about shoplifting at Wal Mart or something, dude.
You really make no point in your article. OK, so the NFL, which is predominately black, has a bunch of thugs...
Tell me something we don't know.
Don't you think those numbers are indicative of society?
What crime will the NFL not forgive? A convicted felon can't get a job handling cash in a restaurant but can make millions in the NFL
Vic deserves to starve to death in a hot cage. No money for Vic. No money to any team that hires him. No Vic no way!
they say animal torture is how it starts then they move on to humans......
MICHAEL VICK the THUG deserve to die painfully like what he did to those dogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did you miss that part about Stallworth?
Forget about the last comment, what about Leonard Little and Christian Peter?
Gibson, you need to get your facts straight about Ray Lewis. And anything else you publish. You're a hack
Um, I think there are a couple of reasons:
1) Dogfighting is a felony - there is no such thing as cow fighting or pig fighting
2) Interstate transportation of dogs for fighting is a felony - I'm pretty sure cows and pigs only get transported to the slaughterhouse
3) Most Americans don't eat dog
4) The pigs and cows that are slaughtered are generally not: eletrocuted for fun, drown, strangled, the calves and piglets are not thrown up against the wall for kicks, and I'm pretty sure no one steps on either of the animals to kill them.
5) Gambling on dogfighting is illegal
6) Running (financing) a dogfighting ring and gambling ring - is a felony
Your post is barely legible and makes no legal or common sense. The main reason (above his felony activity) that Vick was imprisoned is because of the WAY these dogs were killed. Killing and torturing an animal for fun is as sick as a child molester - they're both innocent victims. If I ran into the coward Vick somewhere, I'd be happy to sh
Excellenct article; very concise & effective.
Extremely. Read the news, tool
I'm sorry, but the CORE of the man Vick is really f*** up to put it mildly. He is a very scary person. How now? Has he miraculously changed with only 18 mos. of real jail time? This stuff is what he was used to--ever heard of the nostalgia of the mud? Look it up! Wake up you people who make excuses for him! The public (like me) who despises him for torturing animals WHO FEEL PAIN LIKE US would need a lot more time to see a change. In the meantime, kiddies: Do as you please. Be evil and go on and earn millions of dollars because there are plenty of greedy people out there, who, IF you are a celebrity, will give you a pass as long as you make THEM money too!
Eagles, shame on you and all the blind football stars who supported Vick, too.
God bless the beasts and the children, folks, they're gonna need it.
Great TITLE. Great ARTICLE. NICELY done. I say we start raising funds to donate to the charity of choice of any football player who can SACK THE CRAP out of Michael Vick on the field.
Great TITLE. Great ARTICLE. NICELY done. I say we start raising funds to donate to the charity of choice of any football player who can SACK THE CRAP out of Michael Vick on the field.
Vick serving 2 years for killing a dog, and all your other examples of 30,90, etc for killing humans tells us just how f'ed up our society is when we value dogs over humans. Donte Stallworth served 24 days and suspended for one season for drunk driving and killing a father. Where is that outrage???!!?
You sir are my hero. Thank you for giving me some hope for the future of mankind.
Vick serving 2 years for killing a dog, and all your other examples of 30,90, etc for killing humans tells us just how f'ed up our society is when we value dogs over humans. Donte Stallworth served 24 days and suspended for one season for drunk driving and killing a father. Where is that outrage???!!?
michael vick is a multi millionaire & there are a lot of envious & resentful posters on this forum. ps...he's gonna make millions more!
Michael Vick, Stallworth, Little, Jones, Johnson, Lewis and Peter. Anyone see the pattern here? All black American males.
Here is the south we have a saying that goes, "Ain't that just like a (insert southern racial epithet)."
How bout this one? "You can take'em out of the jungle, but you can't take the jungle out of 'em" Thats good too
Christian Peter is not black, just another in a long line of Nebraska criminals (rapist).
I'm sorry but, 93% of the comments replying to this article seem to address the Michael Vick issue. Ive lost 5 friends and an Aunt to drunk driving in the last year so excuse my indifference to the dog issue. Vick is a horrible person, nuff said. But ummm..... what about human beings? I despise the things that Michael Vick did and it can definitely be said that malicious intent had to be a factor in those actions. Electrocuting dogs to death sounds much more heinous than accidentally running someone over, I get that (I'm being a bit cynical if you didn't quite catch it). Most people would say that the intentions involved incriminate Vick. He knowingly commited some horrible crimes, but driving around plastered is just as damning in my book. A person doesn't get behind the wheel of a car completely trashed without understanding the implications, I'm sorry for my callousness. A momentary lapse of judgement isn't any less capable of killing someone than a constant one.
Don't apologize please. Your "cynical" thinking is what any reasonable person would say. Those crimes left people alone or without a parent. Sure the dog killing is wrong, but come on really people? They would rather see a drunk driving murder go free than a dog killer. On tv you can see kids talking about killing whale hunters. I sympathize with your loss. I too lost a friend in high school to that and its far far far far worse than losing a dog which i have also done.
Wish people would just leave Vick alone. How can someone as widely-published as yourself put him in a group that has assaulted, raped, and killed other PEOPLE. Is he a felon? Yes. Should he be? I guess what he did is more than just a misdemeanor but was it worth $200 million or who knows how much along with almost the career of one of the most exciting players ever to play the game? NO. At the same time my wife has a dogs and at times I wouldn't mind "getting rid of them" but I still don't. Still leave him alone and let him resurrect his stolen career.
Mike Vicks my hero
who cares its 1000's of people walking the street that have killed people in nobody talking about fuck yall and get off their dicks
Vick is a great athlete no doubt. But, what he and his friends did to innocent animals is just an indication to what he can/will/have done to people. Don't be fooled. If you like him so much, have your kid hang out with him and see how your kid turns out. This man is a role model for the youth of america. Seriously, walk up to him in on the street and call him your homie.. see how he will treat you. You like walking down the street and having a pit tearing your dog's throat out?
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